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Texas State University suspends Greek activities after pledge’s death

Texas State University President Denise Trauth speaks Oct. 14 at the 10-year anniversary celebration for the Texas State Round Rock campus. Trauth suspended all fraternity and sorority activities Tuesday until univerisity officials complete a review after the death of Texas State University student and Phi Kappa Psi pledge Matthew Ellis on Monday. NICOLE BARRIOS / ROUND ROCK LEADER

Posted: 6:26 p.m. Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Highlights

Texas State University student and Phi Kappa Psi pledge Matthew Ellis died after attending a fraternity event.

Alcohol might have been a factor in his death, investigators said.

Texas State has suspended all Greek activities until officials complete a review.

Texas State University President Denise Trauth confirmed that a Phi Kappa Psi pledge died Monday after attending an off-campus fraternity event, and she announced an immediate suspension of all activities organized by fraternity and sorority chapters at the university while officials complete a review.

Matthew McKinley Ellis, 20, was at an off-campus apartment complex called the Millennium, located at 1651 Post Road in San Marcos, when his friends noticed that he wasn’t breathing about 11 a.m. Monday. Medics responding to a 911 call pronounced him dead about an hour and a half later, San Marcos police said.

According to a preliminary investigation, alcohol might have been a factor in Ellis’s death, but toxicology results from his autopsy are still pending, police said.

Texas State University Greek chapters are now “prohibited from holding new-member events, chapter meetings, social functions, and philanthropic activities until a thorough review of the Greek affairs system is completed,” Trauth said in a statement Tuesday.

Joanne Smith, vice president for student affairs, is in charge of conducting the review and proposing recommendations for reinstating fraternity and sorority chapters “that demonstrate a commitment to the core values of Texas State and the ideals established by their respective national organizations,” Trauth said. “It is imperative that our entire university community develop a culture that places the highest priority on the safety of its students, faculty, and staff.”

About the Author

KATIE HALL
Katie Hall is a breaking news reporter for the Austin American-Statesman.

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